Rising Urban Books star C. N. Phillips delivers modern fairytales with an urban fiction twist. “Maid for You”: When Ava Dunning’s mother is killed in a senseless act of violence, it feels like the world has ended. Now on her own, with the bills piling up, Ava is forced to take a job with a company called Maid For You. Trying to clock as many hours as she can, Ava jumps at the opportunity to do some overtime on the side, only to discover that she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Just like that, she becomes a cleaner for King Dex, one of the most notorious kingpins on the West Coast. It’s nothing for him to pay a couple thousand dollars for her to clean up his dirty work, and she’s happy for the paycheck. Things become complicated when Ava discovers that King Dex played a part in her mother’s death. Now Ava is set on revenge, but when she meets Charmont, King Dex’s son, and falls head over heels, she must make the hardest decision of her life. Which half of her heart should she follow? “Robin the Hood”: There are many things that can happen when you make someone mad. They can hold a grudge, curse you out . . . or hire somebody to rob and kill you. Her name is Robin, and the hood claimed her long before she got into this business. She and her team of outlaws are hired by major hitters in the game to collect debts with either money or souls, plus tax for their own needs. When Robin is offered triple the usual rate to double cross the man she has fallen in love with, greed gets the best of her. When the hit goes wrong and her identity is exposed, Robin makes enemies that she thought she’d only see in her nightmares. Follow this grimey tale and see if this girl from the hood will find her way out of a sticky situation, or pay the ultimate price in blood.
In an isolated hamlet lives a boy named Velou who wants nothing more than to protect his beloved neighbors from the werewolf terrorizing the town. But even the town’s mayor—its most skilled huntsman—is unable to handle the situation on his own anymore. In a desperate attempt to save his people, the mayor hires the Hunters Guild to exterminate the werewolf. But after the mayor bankrupts himself into affording the Guild’s services, Velou and the citizens are disappointed when a little girl in a red hood named Grimm shows up instead of the big, strong hunter they were expecting. Velou is skeptical of Grimm’s ability to handle the werewolf—surely the mayor has been scammed, right?! Will Velou and the hamlet ever live happily ever after? -- VIZ Media
Charles Hood and Frank Hood, the co-authors of the popular book Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots, are pleased to announce the release of their follow-up volume, entitled Sub Tales: Stories That Seldom Surface. The new book presents a fascinating compendium of stand-alone stories drawn from the rich annals of American submarine history. Painstakingly researched and vetted, many of these stories are not widely known by even veteran submariners. Broken into sections based on content, Sub Tales explores a variety of topics ranging from the tragic sinking of the USS F-4 in 1915 to the inspiring survival story of George Rocek during World War II. Individuals highlighted in separate chapters include Admiral Chester Nimitz, Captain John Wesley Harvey, and four U.S. presidents, whose visits aboard submarines are described with proper historical context. Additional topics discussed include ordeals at sea, such as the improbable rescue of a Filipino sailor from the North Atlantic Ocean by the USS Scamp in 1987 and the daring landing of a stricken Navy helicopter aboard the USS Corporal in 1956. Lighter fare includes a discussion of the filming of the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat aboard a submarine painted pink, an explanation of submarine pay over the years, and the first baseball game played at the North Pole in 1960. Essays discussing the heavy-handed plot to steal the USS Trepang in the late 1970s, the novel delivery of U.S. mail using a submarine-launched missile in 1959, and the genesis of Dick O'Kane's lucky cribbage board are among the 35 original stories presented in Sub Tales. All stories have been thoroughly reviewed and edited by more than twenty submarine veterans from all boats, disciplines, and eras. The addition of these men to the editorial process helped immeasurably to assure both technical and historical accuracy as well as the proper use of naval terminology. In several stories, the gripping narratives are further enhanced by the inclusion of first-hand perspectives, provided by the very men who participated in these important slices of history. Capping off the book is an intriguing set of submarine "lists" gleaned from the vast readership of the authors' Facebook page ("Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots"). These lists are compilations of responses to such weighty questions as "What one trait learned aboard the boats served you well after the service?" and "What is the one aspect of submarine duty that you struggle the most to explain to a civilian?"More than 130 photographs are included, fully captioned, to amplify the written material for each chapter. By popular demand, the essay "How to Spot a Brother of the 'Phin" is reprinted from the Hoods' first book, along with expanded versions of stories recounting the USS Squalus rescue of 1939, the experimental nature of the USS Albacore in the 1950s, and the refuge sought by the USS Narwhal at the bottom of the Cooper River during a hurricane in 1989. The Hoods have organized this book for opening randomly at any chapter and becoming absorbed by a new story. The stories are grouped by general topic but do not follow any sequence, making Sub Tales that perfect bedtime companion for a short story or two before sleeping. A great gift for the veteran submariner, Sub Tales is also engrossing reading for anyone who with an interest in the U.S. Submarine Force. As with the first book, all profits from the sale of Sub Tales are earmarked for the Scholarship Fund of the USSVI. This fund awards stipends to deserving family members of veteran submariners to help defray college tuition expenses. The response to Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots has been overwhelmingly positive, and proceeds from book sales have resulted in the cumulative donation of more than $26,000 to this fund as of December 2019. Not only will you thoroughly enjoy reading Sub Tales but also you will be helping out a very worthy and appropriate philanthropic effort. Thank you for your support!
Guy Longhead. Jasper of the Sinister Hand. Hurst Orricson. Holt, also Orricson, brother of Hurst.To anyone else, just four names. But to Rowan Hood, the gentle healer who has waited two long years to put names to the men who murdered her mother, they are fuel to feed her desire for revenge. And so she leaves the rowan grove that had become her home in Sherwood Forest, and along with her friends, sets off to seek these men. Yet she finds that the closer she draws to them, the farther she feels from the healer she has become.
A city full of lies, deceit, and cold-blooded murder, Detroit plays widow to drug cartel after drug cartel, and The Last Kings are the latest to take over the throne. It seems that nothing can crumble their empire, but when an unexpected series of events take place and blood is shed, everything spirals out of control. Can Sadie and Mocha survive the game as the head women in charge, or will disloyalty and treachery threaten to end them for good? Ride with C.N. Philips as she tells the greatest story street fiction has ever seen.
Back from the dead, Sadie is hungrier and more ruthless than ever. With a heart black as night and an itching trigger finger, she has vowed to make Ray's murderer's blood rain over the city of Detroit. However, Khiron is currently sitting as the new king of the city. He is backed by the Dominican Cartel, and he is proving to be untouchable. Sadie has secretly relocated to Miami and takes Ray's place as the head of The Last Kings. Recruiting a few new members and making new money, the cartel is revived and ready to go up against the worst to reclaim Detroit. In the midst of it all, a war is budding between the Italians and Dominicans, and Sadie has already chosen her allegiance. The Last Kings are back, guns loaded and ready to make one last bloody movie in the streets.
Maid for You - With no job and nowhere to go, Ava becomes a cleaner for the underground operation of the infamous King Dex. To the world, it is the legit cleaning service Maid for You, but the employees there are hired for one reason and one reason only: to clean up the kingpin's bloody messes. Robin the Hood - Robin belongs to a team of outlaws hired by heavy hitters in the game to collect debts or souls. Greed was the thing that brought them all together, but it when it leads to death and double-cross, Robin is left to face off with an enemy she thought she'd only see in her nightmares.
The inspiration for compiling this book, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1), came from a simple premise: Imagine yourself meeting with a Cold War-era submariner at a neighborhood bar for an evening of conversation over a pitcher of cold beer. What would you ask him that he could truthfully answer, and what would most interest you about his story?Such story-telling comes easy for most seamen, but in the case of our submariner, there's a catch: a lot of topics that you might want to discuss are entirely off-limits. Such is the submariner's lament. He has so many stories that he could share, but he must constantly exercise tremendous discretion in determining what can and cannot be disclosed. Your imaginary evening at the local bar might be interrupted by fits and starts as he chooses his words very carefully.But what if we changed the ground rules, declaring upfront that we didn't want to delve into details that could compromise his oath of secrecy, instead just focusing on the many other non-classified aspects of submarine life that are fair game? For example, the pranks...or the camaraderie...or the intense training...or the meaning of the dolphins insignia. By keeping the focus on those experiences that didn't involve intrigue and confidentiality, we could get some sense of what it was like on board a submarine while still respecting those forbidden boundaries. Stated in another way, we sought to describe the "day to day" and not the "cloak and dagger" of submarine service. The stories presented here run the gamut from harsh to tender, unsettling to sublime, and sad to hilarious. They contain several common themes, including love for country, a sense of adventure, an affinity for gallows humor, the pride of well-honed teamwork, and a profound sense among shipmates that they were all key participants in a larger mission. Several of the contributors reflected that their lives were never more meaningful or focused and that some of their very best years were spent in the US Navy. As these Cold War-era submarine veterans have grown older, their senses of nostalgia and mortality have deepened. Those who wrote stories for The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) did so because they believe that their memories have intrinsic historical value. They understand that although certain parts of their submarine experiences may never be discussed, a far greater percentage of their memories are worthy of sharing. Their stories are not "tell-all" narratives, but they do provide many important insights into the struggles, sacrifices, and rewards of submarine service. In that sense, this volume represents an important contribution to the written history of submarines in the modern era. The 33 contributors to our book span the entire Cold War period, from the late 1940s to the 1990s and beyond. The book contains more than 150 stories and over 300 photographs, most submitted by the authors themselves. It also includes several poems, interviews, and other recollections. The editorial process centered on readability, consistency in terminology, and historical accuracy, while maintaining the authenticity of each contributor's voice. Nearly a full year in the making, The Silent Service Speaks (Vol.1) paints an intimate portrait of life below the sea in the US Submarine Force. As with the previous two submarine books written by Charles and Frank Hood, "Poopie Suits & Cowboy Boots" and "Sub Tales: Stories that Seldom Surface", all proceeds from the sale of The Silent Service Speaks (Vol. 1) are donated to the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) Scholarship Fund. This practice continues the authors' commitment to philanthropy and the desire to increase public awareness about the significance of the submarine community at large. As of June 2020 at the time of the initial publication of this book, the total proceeds raised for the USSVI Scholarship Fund have exceeded $32,000. Thanks for your interest.
In the third book in the Desperate Hoodwives trilogy, a pimp, a killer, a playa, and a drug dealer struggle to get their game right in a sizzling novel where leaving the life and trying to go straight is a deadly option. Tavon, better known as “Sweet,” would pimp his own mother—and he does. Convinced that the prostitution game chose him, Sweet loves his high-rolling life. But when he unexpectedly becomes a father, will Sweet be able to choose between the family trade and his grown, not-so-innocent daughter? After ten years in prison, the drive-by Demarcus committed still haunts him. Determined to stay above the law, he’s found Allah, promised to change his ways forever, and finally do right by his girl, Zoey. But when an opportunity arises that will set him and Zoey right for life, Demarcus may have more faith in his killah reputation than the Koran... Kaseem runs every single drug going in and out of Bentley Manor. His empire provides clothes, cash, and his satisfaction of his wifey, Quilla—along with the company of other ladies, of course. But when Kaseem’s crew becomes more violent, will he be able to escape the life—and the gangsters—he created? The best playa on the block, Rhakmon can get a woman to do anything he wants. His latest girlfriend, Shaterica, lets him steal, lie, and cheat—smitten to be under his spell. But when Rhakmon’s devious deeds are finally brought to light, the revenge Shaterica plans may ultimately be more horrible than anything he could have imagined... From the ladies who brought you Desperate Hoodwives and Shameless Hoodwives, the streets of Atlanta are hotter than ever with drama, sex, and danger—profilin’ four men desperate for anything but their hood life.
For use in schools and libraries only. In the land of Everafters, there is no shortage of mysteries for Daphne and Saprina Grimm, the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives.
